1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an image processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method of controlling a mobile terminal based on analysis of a user's face in an input image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile terminals have increasingly expanded their services and additional functions, among which a camera function is considered a key function. To increase usefulness of the mobile terminal and satisfy different desires of users, combinations of the mobile terminal having a camera with their services and additional functions are required. As an example of the combinations, there is a technology to recognize faces from images inputted through the camera. The face recognition technology has been found to be very important in many application fields, such as expression studies, driver's drowsiness detection, or identification check.
Among the face recognition technologies, there is one method where three or more of features, such as a face, eyes, a mouth, a jaw, eye brows, a facial contour, etc., are identified in an image captured from the camera, a rotational direction of the image is determined with respect to a reference direction, and the image is displayed in the determined rotational direction. In addition, there is a technology to display information by recognizing the user's facial contour and positions of his/her eyes, jaw, and mouth, calculating a rotation angle of a line that links both eyes, and determining a display direction of the information. In this regard, the face recognition procedure requires detecting correct positions of many facial components or features in the image, such as the face, eyes, mouth, jaw, etc.
As such, since most conventional technologies are based on detection of the user's face together with at least one facial component, such as the eyes, mouth, jaw, etc., they may not obtain normal face recognition results nor correctly perform functions corresponding to the face recognition results from an image having a face being obscured by any other object or having only a part of the face being captured due to a particular viewing angle.
Furthermore, for a face recognition technology, a correct eye detection technique needs to be done for correct face recognition. However, conventional technologies only focus on detection of eye positions in a face image and do not consider the situation where the face detection has failed. Thus, a need exists for correctly detecting the eye positions even in the situation where the face detection has failed.
Furthermore, in order for a user to perform a desired operation of the mobile terminal, hardware interfaces, such as keypads or touchscreens have to be used. If it is possible for the mobile terminal to be controlled through eye detection without direct inputs from the user, it guarantees better quality of user experience.